Funeral for James Wakasa, held at Topaz in 1943.

“The Future of the Wakasa Stone: A Public Discussion” will take place on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Pacific as part of the Japanese American Confinement Sites Consortium Education Conference.

Moderated by Ann Burroughs, president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, this discussion will be an opportunity for the JACSC community to provide input and perspective on the future of the Wakasa Memorial Stone, a monumen to commemorate the death of James Hatsuaki Wakasa, regarding a permanent location and display.

Wakasa, an Issei, was shot and killed by a guard at the Topaz concentration camp in Utah while walking his dog inside the barbed-wire fence on April 11, 1943. The Wakasa Memorial Stone was found partially buried just inside the west fence at the Topaz site in 2020.

The conference, titled “Echoes of Resilience: Imagining the Possible in Preserving Japanese American Heritage,” will be held from Oct. 4 to 6 at JANM, 100 N. Central Ave. in Little Tokyo. Hours: Friday, 12 to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m; Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. To attend in-person, register here: https://9644p.blackbaudhosting.com/9644p/JACSC-Educational-Conference–Echoes-of-Resilience-Imaging-the-Possible

To register for the virtual conference, go to: https://9644p.blackbaudhosting.com/9644p/JACSC-VIRTUAL-Conference